King County Metro is partnering with Public Health – Seattle & King County and their partner Discovery Health to host a family day vaccine clinic:  Saturday, June 26 from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Metro’s Safety and Training building at 11911 E Marginal Way S, Tukwila Parking is available on site. King County employees and their loved ones are invited to make an appointment to receive one of two COVID-19 vaccines. The Pfizer vaccine will be available for those 12 and older and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be available for those 18 and older.  There will… Read More

On June 2, 2021, King County issued new vaccine and mask requirements for employees. We have developed a Frequently Asked Questions document to provide additional information on this guidance. You can read the FAQs here and review the June 2 announcement here. This information will be updated periodically as new information and guidance emerges. It applies to all Executive Branch employees. Employees in other branches of County government will receive guidance from their leaders.

Mask requirements are evolving with changing federal, state, and local public health guidance, and will continue to be updated as needed. Effective immediately, King County employee mask policies are as follows: If you are working indoors or in an enclosed space with others (for example, multiple people in a vehicle): You must wear a mask whether or not you have been fully vaccinated. On May 18, the King County Public Health Officer directed all individuals – regardless of vaccination status – to continue wearing face coverings over their noses and mouths when… Read More

If you’ve been waiting to get vaccinated against COVID-19, drop-in vaccination is available at vaccination sites across King County, no appointment needed. Vaccination in your car is available every day at the Snoqualmie Valley Hospital and on Mondays at King County’s Auburn Outlet Collection clinic. The Auburn clinic is open until 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, and several sites are open on Saturdays and Sundays. Please see the list of sites below for more details. As of May 13, everyone ages 12 and older is eligible for COVID-19 vaccination. Learn more about vaccination for youth… Read More

On May 13, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities – large or small – without wearing a mask. Washington Governor Jay Inslee announced full alignment with the CDC masking guidance, and provided for businesses to retain the right to require customers and employees to wear masks.  At King County, our existing mask mandate for employees remains in force while we review and update our policy guidance. Under our Temporary COVID-19 Personnel Policy, “Employees must wear… Read More

While COVID-19 vaccine availability has been steadily increasing in the region, the number of people getting vaccinated has begun to level off. Recently, Metro hosted a King County employee vaccine clinic at Metro’s South Training Center where Virginia Mason Franciscan Health vaccinated 575 King County employees. During the preparation for that clinic, Metro realized that some of their mission-critical workers are hesitant to get the vaccine. There are still many people in King County who have either decided not to get vaccinated or are still undecided. It’s normal to have questions or… Read More

All Washington residents age 16 and up are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination, so how do you go about scheduling an appointment? There are several ways you can make an appointment for the vaccine: Go to vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov to search for COVID-19 vaccine appointments near you by zip code. WA COVID Vaccine Finder covidwa.com is a volunteer-driven effort to help Washingtonians find appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine  Call your doctor’s office or health care provider to see if they have available vaccination appointments.  Whether you’re a Kaiser Permanente member or not, King County employees can follow these steps to get… Read More

This is an excerpt of an article in the Public Health Insider. Read the full article here. Many community organizations worked to reassure people who feared the vaccines were unsafe, even though they have been extensively tested. Online misinformation about vaccine safety has been rampant. Reaching people with such concerns requires trust, said Janice Deguchi, executive director of Neighborhood House, which supports immigrants and refugees, many of whom speak limited English.  “Our staff speaks over 45 languages,” Deguchi said. “As a trusted messenger, we can combat rumors with accurate information.”  The Ethiopian Community in Seattle has hosted three community clinic events, providing… Read More

from Whitney Abrams, Chief People Officer Starting Thursday, April 15, all Washington residents age 16 and up are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. This is great news and an important step in ending this pandemic. Vaccine remains the best tool we have against COVID-19. Already half of King County residents ages 16 and older have received at least one dose and more than 30% are fully vaccinated. This is in part due to the crucial role played by a wide array of community and faith-based organizations who delivered those vaccines and the exceptional… Read More